EFFECTS OF USING THE JAPANESE ABACUS METHOD UPON THE ADDITION AND MULTIPLICATION PERFORMANCE OF GRADE 3 INDONESIAN STUDENTS

This quasi-experimental study was conducted to determine the effect on accuracy and finish time of using the Japanese abacus method on the addition and multiplication performance of thirty Grade 3 pupils in selected schools in Indonesia. Fifteen formed the experimental group, were enrolled in abacus training classes outside of their respective schools, and were taught personally by the researcher through additional abacus treatment for ten meetings. The rest of the students formed the control group who do not use the abacus. Both groups were given the same pretest and posttest on addition and multiplication based on the Indonesian curriculum. Afterwards, students scores and finish time were analyzed using F-test and Students t-test. Results show that there is a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of finish time in addition, scores in multiplication, and finish time in multiplication. Results also show that there is a significant increase in multiplication score in the experimental group from pretest to posttest. Student interviews, observations, and analyses of sample solutions revealed several errors that were parallel to Stiglers classification.DOI:https://doi.org/10.24071/ijiet.2018.02011

Hierarchical Lattice Models of Hydrogen Bond Networks in Water

We develop a graph-based model of the hydrogen bond network in water, with a view towards quantitatively modeling the molecular-level correlational structure of the network. The networks are formed are studied by the constructing the model on two infinite-dimensional lattices. Our models are built \emph{bottom up}, based on microscopic information coming from atomistic simulations, and we show that the predictions of the model are consistent with known results from ab-initio simulations of liquid water. We show that simple entropic models can predict the correlations and clustering of local-coordination defects around tetrahedral waters observed in the atomistic simulations. We also find that orientational correlations between bonds are longer ranged than density correlations, and determine the directional correlations within closed loops and show that the patterns of water wires within these structures are also consistent with previous atomistic simulations. Our models show the existence of density and compressibility anomalies, as seen in the real liquid, and the phase diagram of these models is consistent with the singularity-free scenario previously proposed by Sastry and co-workers (Sastry et al, PRE 53, 6144 (1996)).Comment: 17 pages, published versio

Modeling Coupled Disease-Behavior Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Using Influence Networks

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has caused significant human morbidity and mortality since its emergence in late 2019. Not only have over three million people died, but humans have been forced to change their behavior in a variety of ways, including limiting their contacts, social distancing, and wearing masks. Early infectious disease models, like the classical SIR model by Kermack and McKendrick, do not account for differing contact structures and behavior. More recent work has demonstrated that contact structures and behavior can considerably impact disease dynamics. We construct a coupled disease-behavior dynamical model for SARS-CoV-2 by incorporating heterogeneous contact structures and decisions about masking. We use a contact network with household, work, and friend interactions to capture the variation in contact patterns. We allow decisions about masking to occur at a different time scale from disease spread which dramatically changes the masking dynamics. Drawing from the field of game theory, we construct an individual decision-making process that relies on perceived risk of infection, social influence, and individual resistance to masking. Through simulation, we find that social influence prevents masking, while perceived risk largely drives individuals to mask. Underlying contact structure also affects the number of people who mask. This model serves as a starting point for future work which could explore the relative importance of social influence and perceived risk in human decision-making

Occupational Therapy in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) & Implementation of the Test of Infant Motor Performance

Current literature identifies the recognizable value of occupational therapy within the NICU; however, not all NICUs utilize therapy services. The purpose of this project was to highlight the role of occupational therapy in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and implement the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) within this setting through a variety of goals, objectives, and produced deliverables. Als’ Synactive Theory of Development and the Person-Environment-Occupation-Performance (PEOP) Model guided this capstone project. In addition to in-depth clinical practice, education and program development were the methods utilized to achieve the project’s goals. The results of this project further support existing literature regarding occupational therapy’s value within this highly specialized and demanding setting. Occupational therapists, with their unique abilities and extensive background, offer a developmentally focused perspective to the NICU environment through brain-oriented and neurosensory-focused care, ultimately improving outcomes of infants who require a NICU stay

Stories through Data: The Relationship between COVID-19 and Data Graphics on The New York TimesFront Page

The COVID-19 pandemic hit the US in early 2020, radically redefining the daily patterns of millions of people. This project investigates the impact of the pandemic on data graphics usage in reporting and its implications for data literacy. The survey comprises 226 data graphics appearing on the front page of The New York Times from 2019 through 2022. Graphics were collected, categorized along a number of metrics, and visualized along with pandemic caseload and death data from The New York Times. Analysis reveals that these graphics tended to be centrally located above the fold, brightly colored, and took on one of three graphical architectures––time series, bar graph, or map. Perhaps most notably, the average number of front page information graphics per month more than tripled (from 1.6 to 5.2) in the 4 years from 2019 to the end of 2022. However, the average size of graphics followed no consistent trend. Separately, the increase in data graphics coincides with a decrease in test scores indicative of data literacy rates among school children, in a context where data literacy was already poor across age groups. These results bring up concerns regarding critical reader engagement with news graphics.S.B

Understanding the Effects of Lactose Hydrolysis Modeling on the Main Oligosaccharides in Goat Milk Whey Permeate.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of lactose is a crucial step to improve the efficiency and selectivity of membrane-based separations toward the recovery of milk oligosaccharides free from simple sugars. Response surface methodology was used to investigate the effects temperature (25.9 to 54.1 °C) and amount of enzyme (0.17 to 0.32% w/w) at 1, 2, and 4 h of reaction on the efficiency of lactose hydrolysis by Aspergillus oryzae β-galactosidase, preservation of major goat whey oligosaccharides, and on the de-novo formation of oligosaccharides. Lactose hydrolysis above 99% was achieved at 1, 2, and 4 h, not being significantly affected by temperature and amount of enzyme within the tested conditions. Formation of 4 Hexose (Hex) and 4 Hex 1 Hex and an increased de-novo formation of 2 Hex 1 N-Acetyl-Neuraminic Acid (NeuAc) and 2 Hex 1 N-Glycolylneuraminic acid (NeuGc) was observed in all treatments. Overall, processing conditions using temperatures ≤40 °C and enzyme concentration ≤0.25% resulted in higher preservation/formation of goat whey oligosaccharides